Process for cleaning greasy surfaces



Sept. I4,' 1937. w. E. HOLMQUIST 2,093,240,

PROCESS FOR CLEANING GREASY SURFACES Filed May 31, 1935 Patented Sept. 14, .1937 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR CLEANING GREASY SUR- FACES Wesley E. Holmquist, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application May 31, 1935, Serial No. 24,336

2 Claims. (01. 87-5) This invention relates to processes for cleantwo pipes in assembled spaced, parallel relation. ing grease and oil and oily and greasy dirt from The rear end of the water pipe I is screw such machines as locomotives, automobiles, enthreaded to receive a'hose connection (not illusgines etc. As is well known, the oil and grease trated) running from a source of hot water to used to lubricate such machines spread more or supply hot water to the pipe I0 under pressure. 5

5 less over the parts thereof and catch dust and The rear end of the pipe I4 is also screw threaded dirt. This accumulation becomes more or less to receive a hose running froma source of oil hard and attached to the surfaces and it is supply. Preferably near the rear end of the quite difiicult to remove, pipe M a control valve I6 is provided in the oil 10 It is the primary object of the present invenpip to regulate he supply of oil h r hr h. 10

tion to provide novel and improved processes for Attached to the rear po t on of the Water P p cleaning greasyJsurfaceS, which will quickly cut I0 is a bracket I! having an arm provided with or dissolvegrease from such surfaces andv will an Opening receiving e rear Portion of the Oil wash away the grease together with any dust p p A180 mounted n the Water P Or dirt that may be clinging to such surfaces, near its rear end is a rectangular-shaped handle 15 The objects and'advantages of the invention Which y be sped y One hand of t e will be fully set forth in the following descrip- Operator of the tion, made in connection with the accompanying The Cavern 3 Of Course communicates with drawing, which illustrates a grease cleaning gun the oil chamber 8V to supp y oil eto from the like reference characters referring to similar munieating Wi t e Wa c a 7 S provided. parts throughout the various views of the drawthis P v being received Within an epertured m d i h h screw-threaded bossed portion of head 6. A Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating a number o nozzle necks 0 co c t with O5 rea cleaning gun t t may be used; the water chamber 1 project forwardly and down- Fi 2 is b tt View of th gun shown i wardly from the front of the head 6 and these Fig. 1; necks near their outer ends are exteriorly screw- Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line threaded to receive nozzle p hese noz- 3 3 of 2 as i di t by t arrows; zle caps 2| each have a rearwardly extending Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Skirt P n Zia 0f p y a exterior to re- 80 Fig 3, as indicated by t arrows, and celve a wrench and of screw-threaded interior Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the nozzle construction to be received o a no zle neck. 'of the gun and illustrating the manner in which The forward end portion of each no cap is the stream of fluid is projected therefrom. quite heavy and is ecessed at Zlb to form a h grease cleaning gun mustmted, which is transverse wall 2lc between the interior of the 35 typical of a gun that may he used, in carrying nozzle neck 20 and the recess Zlb. A central out my processes, will be first described whereopening of considerably less diameter t an upon reference may be later had to this gun in the diameter of the recess 2 lb is provided in the scribing the processes themselves. Wail 40 The gun illustrated includes a head tubes Communicating at their rear 5 within which is formed transverse water I ends with the oil chamber 8, anchored near their chamber 1 and a transverse oil chamber 8 sepends in the head 6 a Projecting forwardly arated from the a ter chamber and closed at through the Central portions of the nozzle necks end plugs 9 screw threadedly connected are provided, and. these tubes are received near with the rear part of the head 5 to communicate the1r forward ends within spiders 24 mounted 45 with the water chamber 1 and supply the same Within the nozzle necks The tubes ve. is a water pipe I0 covered by an insulating sleeve teleseopieellyfeeeived and anchored in their for- H of insulating material, such as asbestos, this Ward ends, forwardly Projecting er tubes 23 sleeve H, in turn, being covered by a metallic which extendthrough the central p n s Zld tube l2. Communicating with a central cavern of the nozzle caps and terminate at their forward 50 I3 in the head 6 and having screw threaded conends appr ly fl With. e Outer Surfaces nection with the rear part of the head 6 is an of the Walls Me of the nozzle caps. It should be oil pipe l4 which runs parallel to the water noted that channels 20a are provided between pipe I0. Spaced brackets l5, through which the the internal walls of the nozzle necks 20 and the sleeved pipe l0 and the pipe l4 extend, hold the spiders 23 mounted therein, so that water may adapted to be used in carrying out my processes, Oil P Preferably a e va le p 00111- 20' openings 2| d, so as to permit passage of a much larger quantity of water through the openings 2 Id than oil through the small tubes 23.

'It should be further noted that the recess 2") in each nozzle cap is merely provided so that the outer portion of the nozzle cap will act as a guard to prevent-injury to the tip of the tube 23 within theopening 2|d of the cap. The recess'2lb is of such size that water ejected through the opening 2ld will not come in contact with the sides of the recess and, of course, neither will oil ejected from the tube 23. As the tip of the tube 23 lies approximately flush with the outer surface of the wall 2lc, nomixing action can take ,place between water and oil ejected respectively through the opening 2| d and the tube 23 until after this water and oil has been emitted from the nozzle.

In using the gun for carrying out the processes of my invention, hot water of a temperature from 125 to 140 F. will preferably be used for supplying the'pipe l0 and this water will be charged into the pipe Iii-as from a rubber hose under a pressure of from to 140 pounds per square hot water, it is possible to use cold water or water at lower temperature than 125 F., but less effectively. Oilsuch as distillate, fuel' oil or gas oil will be supplied as from a rubber hose to the oil pipe ll under a pressure of from 3 to 10 pounds per square inch. The operator will grasp the handle l8 with one" hand and the forward part of the gun with the other hand and will hold the nozzle preferably from 1 foot to 5 or 6 feet from the greasy surface, such as a surface on a locomotive to be cleaned. The valve I6 having been opened, water will be ejected under high pressure from the various openings 2|d of the gun and oil will be ejected from the tips of the tubes 23 of the gun. The oil is ejected in jets from the tubes 23 within streams of water, the water stream annularly surrounding the jet of oil to carry the oil with the water stream within the interior of the water stream. When under normal operation, approximately 17 to 18 gallons of water per minute will be discharged from a gun while 1 pint of oil is being discharged. In other words,

the volume of water discharged to oil discharged is from greater than 100 parts water to one part oil and may be as low as to 144 parts water grease on this surface while the water striking the surface washes away the oil and grease and the,

dirt loosened by reason of the solvent action of the oil. By reason of the fact that the oil is maintained in jet form within the stream of water until the oil contacts the greasy surface and the oil and water do not mixto an appreciable extent until after the surface is contacted, it is possible to use but very small quantities of oil relative to water for effective cleaning of the greasy surface. The peculiar manner of discharge of the oil jet and the water stream from the nozzle is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the dash lines W designate the water stream while the solid line 0 designates the oil jet. It is found in actual usage of the process that the oil jet 0 will preserve its identity independent of the water stream W for a distance of from 8 to 12 feet from the nozzle of the gun. That this is true has been proven under working conditions by using a colored oil and observing the color of this oil jet relative to the uncolored water surrounding the oiljet.

Of course, the pressure of the water striking the greasy surface serves to assist the oil in loosening the grease and dirt from the surface. After the surface is struck by the combined oil jetand water stream, naturally the oil and water mix by reason ofthe impact against the greasy surface and thereafter the oil "and water to at least some extent go into colloidal solution. This colloidal must be used than in my process to produce anything like comparable results.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes-may be made in my processes and in the equipment for carrying out my processes without departing from the scope of my present invention, which, generally stated, consists in the (mattershown and described and set forth in the appended claims. 1

What is claimed is:

1. The process of cleaning a dirty, greasy surface which consists in projecting against'the surface a single stream composed of water and a grease dissolving mineral oil only, the volume of oil relative to water being less than 1 to 100 and the water being under a pressure of from 125 pounds to pounds per square inch-and the water carrying within it the oil at the pressure of the water in a substantially undiluted jet, said water and oil remaining in 'unemulsified and largely unmixed state-until after impacting said surface whereby the jet ofoil acts in substantial- 1y pure state as a solventfor the'grease on the greasy surface to loosen any dirt on the surface This has been proven to be true under actual tests. inch. Although as stated, itis preferable to use and the water acts immediately at the point where the oil jet is directed to wash away both the grease and the dirt.

2. The process of cleaning a dirty, greasy sur- 'face which consists in projecting against thesurface asingle stream composed of water and a grease dissolving mineral oil only, the volume of oil relative to water being less than 1 to 100 and the water being; under a pressure of from 125 pounds to 140 pounds per square inch and the water being at a temperature of from 125 to 140 the water carrying within it the oil at the pressure of the water in a substantially undiluted jet, said water and oil remaining in unemulsifled and largely unmixed state until after impacting said surface whereby the jet of oil acts in substantially pure state as a solvent for the grease on. the 

